of the nation ; if we sliould not rather say that the nation itself, persouifierl, is the speaker. In the first triad some have sup- posed a reference to the persecution suffered by Jeremiah at the hands of his country- men. The "dungeon," or rather "pit," will in this case be the " dungeon " (" pit ") mentioned in Jer. xxxviii. 6. But a " pit " is a figure in ihe psalms for destruction (Ps. xl. 2 ; Ixix. 15), and there is nothing re- corded in Jeremiah as to the " princes " hav- ing cast stones at Jeremiah, or rolled a stone on to the top of the " pit." Besides, the " pit " into which the prophet was cast had " no vf ater, but mire."
Ver. 52. — Mine enemies . . . without canse. Theso words ought to be connected, as in the Hebrew.
Ver. 54. — I am out off. Some words have to be supplied, and Pb. xxxi. 22 suggests which these are : — " I am out off from be- fore thine eyes," i.e. from the region on which the eyes of God rest.
Ver. 55. — I called. Bunsen renders, " Then I called." But there is no connection in- dicated in the Hebrew between this and the preceding triad. Out of the low dungeon ; literally, out of the pit of the lower parts (of the earth)— a phrase borrowed from Ps. Ixxxviii. 6 (Hebrew, 7). Sheol, or Hades, is signified.
Ver. 56. — At my breathing ; rather, at my nghing ; literally, at my reliemng mytelf.
Ver. 57. — Thou drewest near, etc. The ■acred poet reminds Jehovah of bis former gracious interpositions.
Ver. 58. — Thou hast pleaded, etc. The reference is still to a former state of things
which came to an end. It would make this plainer if we were to alter the rendering, Thou didst plead . . , thou didst redeem. The speaker likens his case to that of a poor man who is opposed at law by a rich oppressor, and who, for want of an advocate, will, to all appearance, become his victim. Suddenly Jehovah appeared and supplied this want. Such are God's " wonders of old time."
Ver. 59. — Thon hast seen my wrong. Here the speaker returns to the present. This is clear from the following words : Judge thou my cause.
Ver. 62.— The lips stand here for "the fruit of the lips;" and the verb which governs the nouns is "thou hast heard," in the preceding verse.
Ver. 63. — ^Their sitting down, and their rising up. Elsewhere the phrase is a com- prehensive expression for all a man's occu- pations (comp. Ps. cxxxix. 2; Isa. xxxvii. 28). I am their music ; rather, their song ; i.e. the subject of their taunting songs, p. in the parallel passage, Jobxxx. 9; comaa Ps. Ixix. 12 (Hebrew, 13).
Ver. 64. — ^Bender unto them, ete. The sacred poet is familiar with the psalms; here we have a condensation of Ps. xxviiL 4. The tone of vers. 64 — 66 reminds wb of passages in the Book of Jeremiah (see Jer. xviii. 23 ; xx. 12).
Ver. 65. — Sorrow of heart ; rather, a eater- ing of the heart; spiritual blindness, like the "veil upon tire heart " in 2 Cor. iii. 15. Thy curse unto them. This should rather form a separate interjectional clause, " Thy curse upon them 1 "
HOMILBTICa
Ver. 1. — "Iceman that has seen affliction.'' In the first and second cnapton of Lamentations the desolation of the city of Jerusalem is described and deplored. The third chapter brings the picture to a focus by giving us the plaint of a single individnal — either one typical or exceptionally distressed citizen, or the city regarded imaginatively as an afflicted man. Our sympathy is most moved by individual appeals. We are horrified by disasters that aSect thousands ; but we are more touched by the details of ■ the suffering of one person. Nearness is requisite for sympathy, a nearness of view, at least, that enables us to see the humanity of the sufferer. Stutistios of public distress do not so affect us as the sight of a few severe cases that are brought under our own eyes. We cannot pity "the masses;" we pity this mau and that woman. Therefore we should bring ourselves into contact with the sufferers of our own neighbourhood, and not be content to follow only such promptings of benevolence as may arise from a dis- tant survey of large fields of distress afforded by the formal reports of charitable institutions.
I. The man that has seen affliction has claims upon the considbeation of HIS FELLOW-MBN. The Sufferer of Jerusalem arrests our attention. He has a right to do so. Great distress is by itself sufiiciently important to demand our notice. Moral merit will add to the force of the appeal of suffering. But even where the merit is lacking the sulfering itself still has claims upon us. We must not roughly shake ofl the <»bligaiious of sympathy by the observation that the client is ill deserving. If th*
36 THE LAMENTATiOKS OS' JEBEMIAH. {m.in.1—66,
ill desert mean that the complaint is false and the distress a sham, of course it is to be visited with contempt or punishment. But suppose, with evil character, there ia also real distress. In such a case we should take the distress into consideration. We may not help in the same way in which we would assist a deserving case, for perhaps similar assistance would be wasted, or abused, or in some way harmful. But we must remember that charity is not limited by merit. Like the mercy of God to sinners, it should flow out to those whose only claim upon it is their want and woe. Great sorrow does not atone for sin, especially where it leaves the sufferer impenitent. But it does call for pity. Whether she were innocent or guilty, we feel deep compassion for such a victim of torture as Beatrice Genci, and even imagine a certain sacredness about her solitary pre-eminence of distress that hushes all harsh judgments.
n. The uak that has been affliction is in danqeb of reoabdino his suffeb- INOS AS WITHOUT FABAliLEL. He feels his own trouble more acutely than that of his neighbour. Thus he comes. to regard himself as exceptionally distressed. Pain is a good school in which to learn sympathy with others in similar trouble. But the sympathy is commonly attained after one's own agony is lulled. It comes with the ncoUection of It called up by the sight of the present distress outside us. But while pain is being endured, especially if it is very acute, it tends to make the sufferer selfish for the time being. At least It wraps him up in himself and makes him magnify the severity of his own lot in comparison with that of other people. Let us be on our guard against this illusion, and the unkindness to others and murmuring and despair of ourselves which may come out of it.